Notes for Thursday – May 05, 2016

May 5th is the birthday of Pat Frank (1908-1964). This was the pen name of newspaper journalist Harry Hart Frank. His novel Alas, Babylon is a survivalist classic. His personal life was marred by alcoholism, but his writing is admired and still surprisingly popular, today. (Alas, Babylon is still in print, after more than 50 years!) As an homage to Pat Frank, one of the settings in JWR’s novel Expatriates is Mt. Dora, Florida, which was fictionalized by Pat Frank as Fort Repose in Alas, Babylon. o o o Today, we present another entry for Round 64 of the SurvivalBlog …




Maintaining Your Household in the Post-SHTF World- Part 1, by S.T.

Today I washed clothes the easy way: I placed the clothes in the washing machine, added homemade laundry soap, and turned it on. When the washer was done, I transferred the clothes to the dryer and turned it on. When the dryer was done, I removed the clothes from the dryer and folded everything. While my automatic washing machine and automatic dryer are working, I am sitting here typing this. I do this three times every week– once for my family, once for my father who can not navigate his basement stairs, and once for my aunt who also can …




Two Letters Re: Velcro on Tactical Gear

Hugh, My experience with the hook-and-loop closure system is, that it works fine while it is new and clean, but deteriorates quickly. Lint is one of the biggest enemies, along with cheat grass and other vegetable contamination. We have velcro on a camera case closure, and one time it came in handy when a moose was headed toward us with its hackles up. Zip, and the moose made a 90-degree turn to the left and trotted away. But in situations where the noise could draw fire, a snap is usually less loud. Better yet, unsnap your retainer early on, before …




Economics and Investing:

It’s High Time To Worry About The U.S. Economy o o o China’s banking regulator moves to contain off-balance sheet risk. Excerpt: “Authorities are tightening scrutiny of the lenders as the growing use of complex financial structures has raised concerns that bad lending and credit risks can be concealed.” o o o ECB blames you for negative interest rates o o o Banks Quickly Abolishing Your Ability to Use & Store Cash – Sent in by DSV o o o Social Security: Why Congress is messing with your benefits – Many are being forced to take their benefits sooner and …




Odds ‘n Sods:

Sent in by Reader T.Z. – Apologies for the fbomb title, but I wanted to get the info out. Here in the Redoubt we often forget there are those north of the parallel. ‘It’s a F[*] Ghost Town’: Inside Canada’s Fort McMurray As It Burns. Please keep them in your prayers. o o o New addition on SurvivalRealty, Stunning Log Home Sits Quietly Off The Grid, located 49 miles into the Coeur d’Alene National Forest, near the backcountry Magee Airport. o o o Houston School Officials Call Police After Student Tries Buying Lunch With ( REAL) $2 Bill. “There are …